Conference vmsnet::hunting$note:hunting

    
    	I'm currently wearing the "Winona Camo" that I've had for the last
    few years.  I've had good luck with this pattern as well as it's being
    soft and not noisy.  I've got the brown camo which has large patterning
    like yours;  it's black, light brown, and dark brown.  If I were to get
    it again, I think I'd get the grey camo to blend in with the grey of
    trees a bit more.
    	Has anyone ever tried the "mirage" camo.  I like the looks of it,
    big patterns and definately no symmetry in it (which is good IMO).
    Soft camo like Winona's is good, but it does tend to snag on berry
    bushes a bit more than standard cotton, and picks up things like
    burdocks really well (too well!)  
    	I also camo my face with make-up (yes, I have to primp before I
    go out) and have found this effective up close.  I have been within
    6 yards of deer on several occasions and it works.
    	
    	I have some skyline camo (just the top), but didn't get to use
    it last year (no snow during bow season).  I could've used it the year
    before when I tracked a couple of does during a snow.  I got close,
    but I think the snow camo would've helped out.
    
    - Rob
    

Maybe I read it here, but I there was something about a new camo 
that the military used that looked like "the blob" mated with 
"the creature from the black lagoon."  It was standard pants and 
a jacket that had strips of soft canvas or cotton sewn on them.  
The strips were about 1" wide and 12" long.  The strips were also 
colored brown, black, tan, etc.  

Since the camo was in strips and sewn on, it gave a 3-D effect 
that worked much better (according to the military) for 
concealment.  I think the authors said they tried it in a State 
park where there were a lot of people and that people would walk 
right up to you and never see you until you moved.  They also 
said they scared the daylights out of the same people.  

Anyway, it sounds like it might be neat to try...

Scott

    re .2 sounds like the old English 'Ghillie suits' that 
    gamekeepers used to catch poachers. Brigade Quartermasters
    sells modern versions. Looks uncomfortable as heck, likely
    to tangle in brush. 

    
    I'll be wearing Green/Black checkered jacket, Green wool (Johnson from
    Vermont) pants, with Green susspenders with green/blk chk cap,
    all'n,all it's just plain old Yankee-Conservitive hunting gear that's
    seen about 20 seasons come and go.
    
    WHY: Because the freezer has, and always gets filled.
    
    Rick

    
    Re .4,
    
    Rick, 
    
    from what I've seen in the past several years, them clothes you got
    on are pretty good camo.
    
    --Bob
    

    I've been using the standard issue army camo for years now and have
    had pretty good success, besides I like how it fits and I love the big
    cargo pockets.
    
    I've seen that other camo with the strips, it'd be a bitch to use when
    shooting a bow.
    
    Fra

    
    	Don't forget the X00 in Sq. of Blaze Orange.

    re .7 Depends on the state you're in. Vermont has no Blaze
    Orange requirement. Frankly, I prefer the freedom of choice.
    
    re . a few back, the green-and-black plaid. The larger 'buffalo'
    plaids are actually pretty good in breaking up your outline,
    especially in the darker woods. I bow-hunted in plaid, grey
    and drab green for a couple years, back when I couldn't 
    afford camo. Did OK. But I do think appropriate camo is
    better. At least *I* feel more confident, don't know for sure
    if the deer are impressed :-)

    HI ROGER CHANG HERE
    	JUST THOUGHT I'D ADD MY TWO CENTS. I WENT OUT AND BOUGHT A WHITE
    SWEAT SUIT PANTS AND HOODED ZIPPERED TOP FROM J.C.PENNEY. THEN WENT TO 
    FRANK'S NURSEY IN HADLEY MASS (THEY SELL WASHABLE PAINT FOR CLOTHING)
    AND PICKED UP SOME BLACK AND BROWN PAINT. I THEN PAINTED IT WITH THE
    BLACK SO FAR. I JUST PAINTED STROKES LIKE BRUSH OR SMALL TWIGS LIKE
    LINES ON IT. I PUT THIS OVER MY OTHER CLOTHING IF IT SNOWS, IT KEEPS ME
    WARMER AND IT IS SOFT SO NO MORE(ZIP) FROM TWIGS AND IT ONLY COST ME
    TOTALY ABOUT $25.00, WHICH SURE BEATS $115.00 FOR A SNOW CAMO OUTFIT.
    CALL ME CHEEP BUT IF IT KEEPS ME WARMER AND DOES THE JOB AND QUITE TOO
    HEY WHAT THE HELL
    	HOPE THIS HAS HELPED YOU SAVE MONEY TOO
    ROGER

	Roger, sounds like a nice way to save some bucks.

	Only thing: do you wear water proof clothing 
	under your snow camo? The kind of material you
	are using (cotton or cotton blends) tends to get
	quite wet, and hold on to the water really well.

	Watch out for hypothermia if you are in the snow
	in wet clothing.

	Cheers.

						- Mike

    I have a white "shell" jacket that I purchased from Cabela's.  It
    is just a cloth jacket and hood with no insulation or liner or 
    anything.  I just got it big to wear over my water-proof and warmer
    jacket and only use the white shell for camo in the snow.  I don't
    think it cost me much over $15.
    
    Mark,
    

    If your facility has a 'clean room' you can sometimes get the
    white garments that workers in the room use. Not made for durability
    but the price is nice ! ;-)

    MIKE
    
    	SORRY FORGOT TO ADD THAT YOU SPRAY IT WITH SCOTCH GUARD OR EVEN THE
    SPRAY WATER PROOFING FOR TENTS. YOU CAN WEAR YOUR FOUL WEATHER GARMENTS
    UNDER IT AND NOT WORRY ABOUT THE NOISE OF BRANCHES ANYMORE. TKS
    ROGER

    
    	will Scotch-Guard do a decent job on the Sweatjacket stuff?  I
    picked up a white hooded pullover last year and love it-when it's dry!
    

    THE SCOTCH-GUARD HAS WORKED FOR ME BUT I REALLY HAVEN'T GOTTEN INTO A
    HEAVY RAIN OR SNOW STORM WITH IT YET. I GUESS IT WOULDN'T HURT TO WEAR
    THE FOUL WEATHER GARMENTS UNDER IT. AND IT WOULD BE CHEAPER THAT GOING
    OUT AND BUYING THE TENT SPRAY. I SUPPOSE THE WATER PROOFING FOR TENTS
    WOULD COST PROBABLY UNDER TEN BUCKS HAVEN'T LOOKED INTO IT YET.
    ROGER

    	Roger,
    
    	I guess I could walk down to your office or even call you but..
    Could you type in the lower case like I am doing? In notes when you use
    upper case it implies that you are SCREAMING at us and it's hard to
    read. Thank-you.
    
    	Scotch Guard will work for a short time in a heavy rain but will
    fail within an hour. I found that out at a football game. It lasted
    about the first hour then failed and boy did I get wet!! 
    
    	Steve 

I recently read an interesting statement on waterprooofing, i don't remember
where it was, but it stated that the best way to test your garments for
degree of waterproofing is to stand under your shower at fullblast. The 
article stated that you dont want to wait tillyour in the woods in a
downpour to find out it wont hold water (yuk yuk). Anyway it made sense to
me.

FWIW,

Jack

    	RE LAST
    
    	I think something most people overlook is the *use* of a waterproof
    item.  Remember seeing the boot (Dunham I think) immersed in water in a
    see-through container in the sporting goods window?  That boot won't
    leak in a hundred years in that store window but it will if you hunt
    hard and don't take care of them.  
    	Also, gore-tex pants won't leak unless you sit in them when they're
    wet.  The pressure forces the water through.  I quess what I'm saying
    is that theory and practice ain't always the same.
    
    (And you ain't gonnah get clean unless you take off your clothes and
    use soap!)  
    
    Andy